Sunday May 11, 2008

What is God Doing in Us?
1 Peter 2:4-10

I. Introduction

Two weeks ago we looked at this passage in 1 Peter 2:4-10 and spoke about who we are as the people of God.

I mentioned five areas that speak to our identity as the church. In other words, these describe who we are.

  A. We are living stones. (verse 5)

We are going to talk more about this today.

  B. We are chosen by God. (verse 9)

  C. We are royal priests.

  D. We are a holy nation.

  E. We are God’s very own possession.

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people…” (Verse 10)

We (together) are the people of God.

In this community we call the church we have the opportunity to truly understand who God created us to be.

Although the church is far from perfect, if we are committed to loving God with all our heart and loving each other as we love ourselves, it is the best place on earth to truly understand who we are and what we are supposed to be doing with our lives.

But this passage not only addresses who we are as the people of God, it also describes what God is doing in us and then what God wants to do through us.

Today, I want to look at what God is doing in us.

1 Peter 2:5 says, “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.” (NLT)

Things to look for in the passage:

  - Repetition of words or phrases
  - Imagery, metaphor, simile, comparisons – why is the author using them? What do they mean?
  - What is the larger context?
  - What is the key idea the author is trying to communicate to his readers?
  - How does this passage apply to us today? Is there an example to follow, a warning to heed, a promise to believe?
  - Is there anything specific I should do in light of this passage?

II. What is God dong in us?

“And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.”
(1 Peter 2:5, NLT)

“Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”
(1 Corinthians 3:16, NLT)

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors
and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will
be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ…15 Instead, we will speak the
truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He
makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow,
so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
(Ephesians 4:11-13, 15-16, NLT)

“Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is
Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22
Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”
(Ephesians 2:20-22, NLT)

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27, NIV)

“Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I'm going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until
Christ is fully developed in your lives.” (Galatians 4:19, NLT)

“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love
and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19, NLT)

“Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is
all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3:9-11, NLT)

III. Application

As those who proclaim to be followers of Jesus Christ, it is important to remember that one of the major works of
God in us is to make us more like Christ.

God wants to be formed in us so that we will be a proper representation of who He is to the rest of the world (we will
talk about this more next week).

“But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:16-18, NLT)

I believe the Scripture makes it clear that this spiritual formation occurs in the context of community.

It is only over the last few hundred years that faith has been brought down to the individualistic level that it is today.

While I still would emphasize the importance of personal Bible Study and prayer, I would say that we need a greater emphasis to growing together as a community.

How do we do this? Is it only on Sundays?